Did Earnhardt Jr. win the Pepsi 400 at Daytona last year or did the other drivers give him the win? At Talladega, was Michael Waltrip expected to stay behind Junior because he drives for DEI or could he have made the pass for the victory? What about Mark Martin holding off Matt Kenseth in the Coca-Cola 600 to take the million dollar win? Do you think if Matt could have passed Mark, he wouldn't have?

Has NASCAR racing gotten so sentimental that drivers are willing to give away wins? This ain't Formula One! Maybe the fans have fallen for the hype, looking for controversy that isn't there just so they have more to talk about. Does trouble really build up ratings? Or does it just make ignorant new fans?

Lately Junior's record on restrictor plate tracks shows he could have given his father a run for his money. "Seeing air" must be hereditary. With a 2nd, 8th, 1st, 1st, 29th and a 1st in the last 6 races at Daytona and Talladega, yeah, I can see why fans could be swayed into thinking the win was given to him. He just isn't competitive.

Mark Martin who has been winless since Martinsville 2000 wasn't really expected to fight hard to win once he got the lead at Lowes Motorspeedway in the closing laps. So what he ran strong all through the race. Previously winning at Charlotte and dominating the track in the Busch Grand National series, coupled with the way the team has been running this season, I can see why someone would suspect him not being capable of winning unless another driver held back.

You want to talk about suspicious? What about mysterious yellow flags that wave for what looks like a bid to tighten up the field. Recently in the Pocono race. That last caution still has me scratching my head. Debris is where?

And then the race where John Andretti slices the wall but kept going. Nothing fell off. Liquid didn't leak on to the track. No cars spun. Sure, dust flew. Probably other drivers close by didn't even have to check up! But there was a caution anyway. Why?

Well we are going back to Daytona this weekend. Will Junior be in contention? He hasn't been running well lately. Did he give himself the same speech he gave his teammates? Isn't it Michael Waltrip's turn to win anyway? If I were Steve Park I would be wondering when it's my turn.

The Pepsi 400 is a NO BULL race. Mark Martin is eligible. He hasn't won a points race at Daytona. There is another million dollars on the line. But this time his teammate, protégé and the car he "owns" is also eligible. Just how generous is Matt Kenseth if they are one-two on the final lap? Maybe the new controversy could be that Matt had 3 wins and Mark only had one.

What about the other NO BULL contenders, Ricky Craven, Ricky Rudd and Jeff Gordon? Ricky Rudd just won a race so he doesn't really need a win. But isn't he thinking about retiring, an extra million dollars could make that decision a whole lot easier.

It has been mentioned enough that Jeff Gordon hasn't won a race. He really needs one. He is mired back in 3rd in the standings. A win here will get this team back on track. What track "they" are talking about still baffles me.

Ricky Craven would like to get his second Cup win and the million dollars too. But wait, Craven has no teammate! He poses a problem in the "getting help from the teammate" rumor. But maybe there will be a caution at the right time. Debris, that one works.

Sterling Marlin, our point leader had a bad run on the road course in Sonoma, or whatever they are calling it now. Lost a lot of points coming in dead last. I can bet if there is a red flag he won't get out of his car this time!

And let's not forget about the rookies Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman? Pretty sure DW will mention Jimmie Johnson but who will plug Newman? Do you think they will be contenders? Ryan finished 7th and Jimmie 15th in the 500. I wonder since both their veteran teammates haven't won a race this year if there will be any team orders if they find themselves running one-two on the final lap?

But all that isn't what I think NASCAR is about. It's the side by side racing, beatin' and bangin' to the finish line. Swappin' paint, going door to door. The talk should be about drafting. Going 3 wide lap after lap. Who will be the fastest in the pits, cracking out 13-second stops? Which line will be faster? If they get pushed in the middle will they gain positions or watch a train of cars go by on either side?

Daytona is infamous for the huge wreck, "the Big One". Can we avoid it? Lately in the closing laps, the pressure of position is when we see that one mistake cause all heck out there. Now we have screeching and sliding, cars soaring over other cars. Sparks fly and smoke fills the air. Then deafening silence. We sit and wait for drivers to exit what was once a brightly colored stock car, now reduced to a pile of mangled metal. We watch as the crippled vehicles limp around the track trying to make it to pit road. But most importantly, we wait for the report that everyone is okay. That's racin'.

Watched some old Daytona races on television, pre restrictor plate. The field actually spread out! The Big One then consisted of maybe 7 cars, not the high teens like we see now. If the high speeds is what all the concern is about lets lower the banking and get rid of the plate, add some soft walls and go back to racin' again. But that won't be this weekend. We can just hope for action pack racing and a battle for the win we can all believe, no matter what is said.

- gertie